Premier volleyball player earns another honor

Medford volleyball star Kinsey Cronin saved her best season for last and in the past month the senior middle hitter has reaped the benefits. She recorded her 1,000th career kill in the Tiger’s season finale against Maple River on Nov. 20, and she recently achieved an even more impressive accomplishment when she was named a first-team All-Conference player.
When Cronin learned that she was one of the seven volleyball players from the Gopher Conference to make the first team, she was grateful and humbled.
“I was extremely honored. I know the hard work everyone in the conference puts into volleyball and the amount of heart that goes into the game, and to be a part of that is an honor,” she said.
This honor is meaningful to her because volleyball is one of her main passions.
“Volleyball is my passion because it has been a home for me. I have found an amazing support system and have seen so much growth as a person through volleyball. I owe so much of myself to volleyball and the people I who surrounded me,” she said. “Volleyball is my passion because it has created a family and home for me.”
Cronin has made her family and home community proud by always striving to be the best volleyball player she could be.
When asked what makes her such a strong volleyball player, she said her vision and devotion to the game are keys to her success.
“I am able to see the court and I am always looking for ways to grow. Even with the pandemic I made sure to keep my body strong with core exercises and the weight room,” she said.
Thanks to that dedication, she’s been a varsity starter since her freshman year and earned numerous honors. Cronin made second-team all-conference her junior year. Not including all-conference, her volleyball awards include making the Class A all-tournament team during her sophomore and junior year and the Class A first team all-state her junior year and senior year.
Even though her current skill level has earned her numerous awards, she wants to become even better.
“I can improve my serving by working on my jump serve. I would also like to speed up my blocking,” she said.
Despite those areas of improvement, the Tigers achieved a lot of success during Cronin’s high school career, including two berths in the state tournament.
The highlight of her high school volleyball career came at the state tournament when Medford beat Mayer Lutheran, who were two-time defending state champions, in the first round.
While that may be her top moment, she greatly enjoyed every day she got to spend with her teammates and coaches and that unfortunately makes it that much harder to know she won’t get to play for the Tigers again.
“The team has truly become a family to me and leaving them is one of the hardest things I have to do. Also, leaving behind Coach Missy who from the start has put her faith in me and I can't be more grateful for it as it has brought me so much confidence as a player and leader,” Cronin said. “I will miss Medford and all of the opportunities and support the volleyball family has given me.”
She plans to play volleyball at the collegiate level, but is still uncertain which university she’ll attend.